Child of the Moon: A Shocking Theft
by Sleepysaurus Rex
Summary: I've lived for fifteen years. I've been on the run for ten. I haven't spoken for three. Why? Because I see the monsters. When they're after you, you have one mission. Survive. Then I stumbled across Camp Half-Blood. (Well, I was knocked out and dragged over the border, but what's the difference?) After that, I learned what the world I live in truly is- messed up. ON HIATUS FOR NOW.
1. Chapter 1: The Hunted

**Author's Note: I have wanted to do something like this for **_**ages**_**, so I sat down with my copy of **_**The Lightning **_**Thief, opened the Rick Riordan wiki and went through various story concepts. Originally, I planned on doing a 'Son of Kronos' story, but realised that if I did that and made it realistic, the gods would just incinerate my OC when they found out. So I looked at the other OC stories that people had done, and decided to change it to a 'Son of Artemis' story and worked from there. This starts in the spring before the summer of **_**The Lightning Thief. **_**Why is Chiron at camp for this chapter and not at Yancy Academy? This is in spring break. (I am not an American, so please bear with any mistakes I make.) ****Also note that I'm going to have the Infirmary as a separate building than the Big House. As always, I hope you enjoy it! ****P.S. Does anybody read these?**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Hunted  
**

I sprinted through the dark forest, my heart pounding. Branches clawed my face, clothes and backpack, adding various cuts and grazes to my large collection of injuries, and tears to my leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans. What more were they to bruises, burns and a black eye? As I ran on, my only thought was to _get away_ from what was chasing me.

Who am I? Not your normal probably-about-fifteen-year-old. I see things. Usually things that want to kill me. Like now, for instance.

I reached a break in the forest and came across a road in broad sunlight. Looking around, the trees seemed to bar entry from the forest, forcing me to run down the grey strip of asphalt in plain sight. Great, a perfect place for me to die.

I've been on the run since I was five, and never stopped in one place for too long. That's how they find you. They are the things that I saw. They are the things that _hunt you down_. You grow up quickly once they're after you. The _monsters_. I know that other people can't see them. Does that make me crazy? Maybe. Probably. Yeah, I'm crazy, aren't I?

But that's not important right now. What was important was the 10 meters of scaly death that burst from the tree line, turned towards me and hissed. As I ran, I let myself have a quick look behind me and regretted it. A maliciously fanged, cherry red dragon's head sat on top of a snake's body, the thing's scaly armour screeching on the road as it slithered after me. Unfortunately for me, it was gaining, and I was already sprinting.

I cursed silently. I never spoke aloud any more, not when sound was something that gave your position away. The last time I had spoken was over three years ago, right before a monster had thrown a car at me. That was when the lesson was learned. Another thing you pick up when living on the run from monsters is to not trust _anyone._ That's rule number one. Anyone- anything for that matter, can be a monster in disguise, and they _will _try to kill you.

I kept moving down the road, as did the snake- dragon- snagon? Okay, snagon it is. I knew that I would eventually lose this race, as the snagon was slowly closing the distance between us. My mind raced for some way- any way that I could get out of this to live and fight another day. I came up blank. I couldn't get my weapon while I was running, and going through the forest would hinder me more than it at this point. In other words, I was screwed.

Suddenly a shadow fell over me, and I instinctively rolled to the side as fast as I could. Headfirst, the snagon crashed to the ground where I had been seconds before, and I realised that the thing had freaking _jumped_. Since when could snagons _jump_? Hell, since when did snagons _exist_?

As the snagon recovered from its self-inflicted headache, I reached for my weapon. Oh yeah, that's rule number two. _Always_ carry a weapon. What's mine? Well, it _used_ to be a _NERF _sniper rifle. Now it launched the foam bullets at a speed so fast they could put a hole in _steel_, completely silently. Don't ask how I modified it for that, because you don't want to know.

Anyway, I slung my gun off my shoulder, aimed it at the snagon and looked through the scope. A second later, and a spurt of green blood erupted from the things' left eye, accompanied by a wild shriek of pain. I backed up and took aim again as the snagon turned its good eye to face me and screamed in rage. I blinded the thing with another shot. If it was dumb enough to show its weak points, who was I to complain?

I started backing up as the thing writhed into something could be a defensive ball. Every shot I took prompted a scream of pain from the thing. Emptying the clip, I removed and discarded the plastic cartridge, reached into the left pocket of my worn jeans and took out another.

I took aim again as someone a way behind me said "Who the Hades is _he?_"

Another person yelled "DRAKON!", which prompted a faint sound of an alarm bell.

None of that mattered. I kept on firing at the sorry, scaly, son of a worm, until it finally lay let out a rabid death cry and collapsed from what I presumed was blood loss. Then I lowered my gun and let my flopped to my knees, my lungs heaving.

The small group of people behind me seemed stunned as I finally looked over at them, panting. Turns out that they were standing next to a pine tree on the crest of a large hill that, in the heat of the chase and subsequent fight, I had completely overlooked. With my luck, they would have seen something like me shooting some kind of friendly, farmyard, non-fanged animal. I looked back at the snagon, which had begun to crumble into golden sand, like all monsters do when they die.

The people behind me whispered to each other.

"Did he just _kill _a drakon, by _himself_?!" a boy asked.

"Is he a demigod?" another guy said.

"Well, duh! He looks older than usual, though." A girl replied.

"He killed a drakon… with a _NERF GUN!?" _the first kid asked, amazed.

Finally, I had the strength to rise. I turned, brought my gun to a casual 'ready' stance and glared at the group. The word that the second kid had said resounded in my brain. _Demigod_. I'd heard monsters yell that at me before. To them, it was a synonym for 'lunch'. To me, it meant that I was a target. If they were calling me that, then it was time to leave. I shot one final glare at the group, slung my gun over my shoulder and began to walk away.

That got them moving.

"Wait!" One of them said, running down towards me, followed by his two friends.

Quicker than a flash, I had my gun in my hands and took aim at the guy's head.

In my target's haste to stop, he slipped and fell, taking the other two down with him. They tumbled down the hill amidst a lot of curses as I took a few cautious steps back. I didn't lower my gun. Rule number one was in play. Don't trust them. Whatever they say, don't go with them.

"Please put the gun down." The girl said, raising her hands. "We can help you. You're like us."

That made me hesitantly lower the barrel. _No, they're manipulating you!_ _Don't break rule number 1! _The gun went back up and I slowly backed away. More kids had arrived on the hilltop. This was _not _good. If they were monsters, then I was as good as dead.

"You see things, don't you?" The first kid asked. "The monsters."

Hesitantly, I nodded.

"So do we." He went on.

At that, I let my gun go down in shock, before mentally smacking myself in the face and raising it again. My instincts screamed at me to take the shot. I tightened my grip on the barrel, my finger on the trigger, ready to pull it. Then I sensed something behind me and I jumped to the side.

Whirling to face whatever was there, I found… nothing? My instincts were hardly ever wrong. I could tell that something was there, but I couldn't see it. Great, invisible opponents.

That was when I bolted. Quickly swinging my gun onto my shoulder, I started sprinting away as the kids yelled, either at me or each other. I hadn't gone ten steps before I had to jump over some kind of tripwire that hadn't been there seconds before. Then I took a hit to the left side of my head from some kind of metal object, and went down hard, hitting the road and rolling a few metres, banging up my legs fairly well.

Groaning, I rolled onto my back and fumbled for my gun. Then I looked back, blood starting to dribble into my eyes.

"That should have knocked him out!" a startled girl said, quite close to me.

"Do it again!" someone else ordered.

I opened fire, making them dive for cover behind trees, rocks, and each other. This was rule number 3; survive by any means necessary, even if it meant killing other people. Unfortunately, due to the blood pouring down the side of my face, I couldn't aim very well and missed all of my targets.

Eventually, I stood up and began to limp away, slinging my gun over my shoulder. I tore a bit of what was left of my t-shirt off, pressed it against my wound, looking back at the group of monsters in disgust. They were still cowering behind whatever they could find. I turned away in contempt, then got hit over the head by whatever it was that struck me last time. To my eternal embarrassment, I was knocked out cold and went down like a stack of potatoes.

* * *

When I eventually came to, I found myself tied down to a bed in the dead of night, with a _massive _headache and a bandage around my head. I groaned in pain as my brain throbbed, making it hard to think, but one thing was clear. I had been captured, and I _had_ to get out. Straining against the bonds, I looked around. I could see much better in the dark than most people, and I seemed to be in some kind of infirmary, with rows of beds, medicine cabinets, and other stuff I didn't recognise. The room was empty apart from me, but there was a light on in a tiny office at the end near the door, indicating that at least one other person was in.

By now, I had snapped through the restraint on my right arm, and went on to freeing my left one. This was easier to escape than the time I had been locked in the back of a police cruiser. Soon, I was out of the restraints and off the bed. Next, I had to find my backpack and gun.

After a quick look around the infirmary, I confirmed that these monsters did have some sort of sense, and had not left my stuff with me. Damn. Silently, I crept up between the rows of beds towards the office. Reaching the door, and hearing voices behind it, I paused. Sometimes, you could learn more from idle chatter than an straight interrogation.

A boy said "Will, according to Luke and Annabeth, this guy took down a _Drakon_, by _himself, _with a _NERF gun_. According to the laws of the universe, that's counted as being a badass."

Another voice, probably Will's, asked "Do you have any idea who his godly parent is?" _Wait, what the hell?_

"Maybe he's one of our brothers." The first guy said. "Annabeth said that he went for the eyes first, and got them first time too, so he's a damn good shot."

"He doesn't look like us though. The white hair and yellow eyes… he's kind of creepy." _Is that what I look like? It has been a while since I last checked._

There was a pause before the other guy asked "Do you think he knows what he is?"

"No." Will replied with certainty. "Lee, I heard that after he killed the Drakon, he was going to walk away until Luke, Annabeth and Malcom confronted him. Then all Hades broke loose." _All what broke loose?_

The other guy, Lee, chuckled. "He probably thought that we were monsters too!" _That's because you are!_

Will stayed quiet. "That's what worries me. How long do you have to be running from monsters to see everyone as one? Malcom said that even when Annabeth and Luke tried to convince him, he seemed to be conflicted. Uncertain. Perhaps even scared. Does he know that we're on his side?" _On MY side? No you ****ing aren't!_

At that, I kicked the door open, grabbed both the surprised guys by the throats and lifted them off the ground.

"WHERE. IS. MY. STUFF?" I yelled in their faces, which didn't help my headache. Three years without speaking left me with a constricted, gravelly voice that surprised me as much as them, though I didn't show it.

"Big House… Chiron's office." Lee choked out.

"WHERE?" I roared.

"Blue and white farmhouse… It's all in there." Will gagged. I dropped them, ran out of the office, slammed open the door of the infirmary and looked around. Sure enough, in the light of the moon sat a large, four storey farmhouse. I ran towards it as Lee and Will coughed, hacked and called for help.

Unfortunately, I reached the door just as a shadow formed in the light the other side, and it suddenly opened, hitting me solidly in the face, knocking me out for the second time in… well, at least I _assumed _that it was a day.

* * *

When I woke up, it was around dawn and I was back in the infirmary, the sun streaming through the windows. This time, I was shackled to the bed with Will and Lee watching me from the other side with stern faces. They both wore jeans and orange t-shirts that said _Camp Half-Blood _on them. I strained against the shackles, writhing around in fury. I absolutely _hate_ being confined. I screamed in rage at the two guys, making them back away from me nervously.

"Will?" Lee said in a small voice as I yelled bloody murder at him. "Go get Chiron and tell him that this guy's up."

"There's no need for that, I'm already here." A middle-aged man in a wheelchair said as he rolled in. He had scruffy brown hair and a matching beard, and wore a faded tweed jacket. I managed to calm down enough to recognise him.

"You… opened a door… in my face." I growled angrily.

He gave me a guilty smile. "Sorry about that, but you did attack my campers."

"Your _campers _knocked me out, and brought me here against my will first." I countered, spitting the words out. "Who are you, and when are you going to kill me, _monsters._"

Wheelchair guy- Chiron- looked shocked. "We are _not_ monsters. In fact, this is the only safe place in the world for people like you."

"There are no people like me." I insisted. "Only me and them."

Chiron rubbed his face with his hand. "I see that you are going to be stubborn about this, yet I ask you to trust me."

That was my breaking point. "NEVER!" I yelled in his face. "NEVER BREAK RULE NUMBER ONE! DON'T TRUST ANYONE!"

Chiron, Will and Lee flinched, as if my words did them physical harm. Chiron wheeled himself back and forth, silently debating what he should say next.

What he asked surprised me. "How long have you been on the run?"

For some reason, I decided to be honest. "At least ten…"

"Months?" he guessed.

"Years." I corrected.

Chiron's eyes turned sad as Will gasped and Lee whispered something that sounded like "Holy Zeus."

"That would explain your suspicions about us." Chiron sighed. "Not trusting anyone is a sensible strategy in a world filled with monsters. Perhaps a show of good faith will show you we mean you no harm."

"Tell that to the person who cracked my head open." I grumbled, fingering my bandage.

Chiron let the comment slide. "Will, please go to my office and bring this young man his things, including his… unconventional weapon. Lee, If you wouldn't mind, remove the restraints."

They both gritted their teeth, but did as they were asked.

* * *

By the time Will came back, I was sitting up on the bed, warily looking from Chiron, to Lee, to the door, and back. Placing my stuff on the end of the bed, Will quickly stepped back, well out of choking distance. I examined my gun first as Chiron sat in silence, watching me. Nothing seemed to be broken, so I carefully set it down next to me and rifled through my bag. Everything had remained as I left it. I put my bag beside my gun and finally looked into Chiron's eyes. If these people gave me my weapon back, they probably weren't going to hurt me.

Chiron judged this as a safe point to talk again. "What is your name?" he asked.

I looked down in embarrassment. "I… don't have one."

Chiron's expression turned even sadder as Lee and Will looked shocked. "My apologies."

I shrugged at their reactions. "I never needed one. With all the monsters, survival is the only thing that matters."

Will broke in. "Why do you sound like that?"

I glared at him. "Like what?"

"Like you've been eating dust and gravel for a week."

I scowled at him. "Until last night, I hadn't spoken for around three years." Once again, they all looked shocked.

"Why?" Lee asked.

"Well, you hide from a monster, swear at your bad luck, and the next thing you know is a car flying towards your head. That teaches you that stealth is your friend." I gave a weak grin.

Chiron took back the conversation. "If I may ask, why you were on the run from such a young age?"

I shrugged. "All I know is running and surviving. I don't remember a time before that, or why I never had a proper home."

"How many monsters have you killed?" Will said suddenly.

I reached for my gun amid flinches, picked it up, and showed him the stock, which had a _long _tally of small marks, neatly divided into groups of five. "Each mark is a monster." I said, rummaging through my bag for a marker and adding another line on.

"That's over 400 kills!" Lee said, counting them up.

I just shrugged. "Over 400 monsters in 10 years. Or around a monster every week, depending on how you see it. Of course, it wasn't like that. There was about one a month to start and it went up over time."

"How in the name of Hades did you survive?" Will asked.

I pulled a well-thumbed, slightly beaten up book out of my bag and tossed it to Chiron, who read aloud "The Ultimate Zombie Survival Guide."

"Seriously?" Lee said incredulously.

"It's oddly informative." I said as Chiron passed it back.

There was a long silence before I asked "Can I go now? The monsters… will be after me soon… and I need to keep moving."

Chiron looked up at me. "Young man, your story is much more extreme than what I'm usually told, but this camp does have magical borders that keep monsters out. You will be safe if you stay here."

I laughed. "Maybe I've gone crazy in all this time running, but I know one thing for certain. Safety is a concept that doesn't exist in the real world. Add magic into the mix, and I'll say you're more off your rocker than I am."

Chiron gave me a look. "With all the monsters out there, is it really that hard to believe?"

I thought for a moment. Some of the stuff that they could do did seem on the fantastical side. Hell, the giant black dogs could _teleport_, so it could be possible.

"Okay," I said, "I'm going to keep an open mind on the _magic_ side. Convince me."

Lee and Will both looked at Chiron, and I had a feeling that they were expecting him to do something.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Given the story that this young man has given us, perhaps a more… non-confrontational demonstration than what you two are thinking would be appropriate."

Both of them looked sheepish before Will said "How about Ambrosia?"

"That'd work." Lee replied, snapping his fingers. Then he turned to me as Will went off to find whatever it was that they were talking about. "Do you have any wounds, bruises, cuts, things like that?"

I gestured to the bandage around my head.

Lee rolled his eyes. "Apart from that?"

I lifted up what remained of my T-shirt to show off a collection of bruises ranging from green to purple, massive scabs, and lots of smaller cuts.

"Di immortales! How long have you had those?"

I just shrugged. I didn't know.

"Well, at least we can show you what ambrosia does."

"Wait," I asked, "what did you call it?"

Will returned from wherever he had gone and handed me a small, golden gelatinous cube. "Ambrosia." he said, as if that cleared everything up.

"Riiiight." I said. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Eat it."

"Why?"

"You'll see why."

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" I asked. I was still sceptical of these people, even if they were trying to be nice.

Chiron was watching this, trying to keep a smile off his face, showing he probably dealt with this a lot. I scowled at him, then popped the stuff in my mouth and began chewing. As soon as I swallowed, I felt a warm tingling everywhere I had an injury. I looked down at my exposed chest and gasped. My bruises were fading away, showing normal, untouched skin! My cuts and scabs were closing, by themselves!

"Holy ****!" I yelled.

Chiron coughed. "While I do appreciate that you are shocked, we do have a no-swearing rule here."

"R-r-right." I stammered, still looking down at my newly healed self. Then I looked up. "You- you were telling me the truth. Magic does exist."

Chiron just smiled and nodded.

"What did it taste like?" Will asked.

"Huh?" I said, still disoriented that magic actually exists.

"Ambrosia tastes differently for each person, but it always tastes of your favourite food. I'm just wondering what you got."

I thought on it. "It didn't really taste of anything."

"That's... odd." He said, unwrapping the bandage from around my head.

Lee stepped forward. "Chiron, if you don't need Will or me, can we go get some breakfast?"

Chiron turned to him. "That's fine. Lee, Will, thank you for your time."

They nodded and walked towards the door as Chiron turned back to me. "Now, on to more serious matters."

"More serious than _magic_?" I asked.

"Indeed. You now know that this world is both filled with monsters and magic, and I hope that you will believe what I have to say without me having to prove it."

"Erm… okay."

"There are great powers at work in your life. Gods- the ones that humanity calls the Greek gods- exist, and are still alive today."

Chiron sounded like this was part of a speech that he gave quite often. At this point, I was happy to roll with it. Rule number one could be dropped when it came to this guy. Probably.

"Okay. I mean, I have absolutely no idea which gods you're referring to, but sure, I believe you."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

I grinned. "It explains why my life is so ****ed up."

Thunder boomed somewhere over us, but Chiron smiled and said "Do I need to get you a swear jar?"

"No."

"Good, because this will be your only warning."

"You make it sound like I'll stay here." I realised.

Chiron nodded. "Once you realise that this place is indeed safe from monsters, you won't have to run anymore."

I smiled warmly for the first time in a long while. "Not running sounds good."

"So you will stay?" Chiron asked.

I shrugged. "Fine. For a few weeks, at least."

Chiron looked satisfied. "Then, on behalf of everyone here, welcome to Camp Half-Blood."


	2. Chapter 2: Checking out Camp

**Author's Note: With the exception of an hour on **_**Warframe**_** (Brilliant game, check it out!) and having lunch, I sat down and wrote the whole of this chapter in a day. Enjoy my hard work!**

**In response to reviews:  
Luna, shanniwhitaker, Aidan Ho: Thanks for your support!  
Haladaes: How did I come up with the sniper rifle NERF gun? That's mainly answered in this chapter, but I mainly thought that it would be a cool weapon that could be hidden in plain sight. It's also a ranged weapon, so would be used well by a child of an archery goddess.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC and the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Checking out Camp**

A little later, I was currently in the bathrooms, looking at my reflection in a mirror. Chiron was taking me on a tour of camp, but he suggested that I clean myself up first and get some new clothes, as my old ones were pretty much rags. Well, he had suggested that _after_ he had explained that everyone here (including me) was a demigod, to which I just shrugged and went with. He had also showed me his true form (he said he was something called a centaur) and I nearly shot him in a panic, thinking that he was really a monster and had deceived me.

Anyway, I had taken a shower and washed all the dirt, grime, dried blood, monster slime, and bad smells off myself, like I said, I was looking at my reflection in a mirror, wearing an orange camp t-shirt and jeans. It had been a while since I had properly seen myself like this. My spiky hair looked more like a true white rather than a dirty grey, and my eyes looked slightly less wild than they usually did. Chiron said that most demigods had physical traits like their immortal parent. When I asked him if he knew who my parent was, he said that he had no idea, but he did say something about claiming. I'd have to ask about that later. Finished staring at myself, I went back outside, trying not to wonder about when my next encounter with a monster would be.

As I grabbed my stuff back from Chiron (he was the only one that rule number one didn't apply for, so I had left everything with him), we started the tour. As we walked, Chiron filled me in about how the Greek gods had moved across the globe with 'Western Civilisation', whatever that was. The essentials? Mount Olympus, where the gods lived, was on top of the Empire State Building in New York, while the entrance to the underworld, where people went when they died, was in Los Angeles. Okay, why not?

We stopped by the Big House first, seeing as it was one of the most central points in camp. Chiron explained that this was basically camp HQ. Everything important, except the infirmary (which I had developed a sudden hatred for), was in here, including the 'Oracle', a mummified corpse that housed the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi, which could see into the future.

"Could you ask it for the winner of a major upcoming sporting event, then bet on them and win millions?" I asked.

Chiron smiled. "Unfortunately, the Oracle will only speak her prophecies for quests, as well as when major events happen in the mythological world."

"Shame." I grumbled.

Chiron then told me about Mr. D, or rather Dionysus, the god of wine, who had been sent to direct camp as a punishment from his father Zeus, the king of the gods. Evidently, I had to brush up on my mythology if I didn't want to get incinerated.

"So, if he's the director of camp, do I have to report to him or something?" I asked.

"Oh, no." Chiron replied. "Privately, Mr. D hates his job, so best way of staying on his good side is to not be around him. I've already informed him of your presence here, so he may bring you up on the announcements later, but that should be it."

I nodded. Staying away from immortals seemed to correspond well with rule number 3.

After that, we saw the woods. They took up somewhere between a quarter and a third of the valley. The trees were massive, their trunks as wide as my arm span.

Chiron said "If you go in there, make sure to take a weapon, and a friend. The woods are home to some minor monsters, and campers have a habit of getting lost in them."

"So you take the friend in as a guide, then use them as bait when the monsters come." I joked.

Chiron almost laughed at that one, but settled for a smile. We seemed to get on well, considering that we had just 'met' yesterday, and in rather… unusual circumstances.

We began walking again. Chiron glanced at my gun before saying "Most demigod heroes use weapons forged from celestial bronze, such as swords and spears, yet you do not. I have to ask, why is that?"

"Three reasons." I replied. "The first is that, until you mentioned it, I had no idea that celestial bronze existed, let alone had any of it."

Chiron nodded. "Of course. The second reason?"

"Take a demigod with a sword." I said. "Even with the… what was it called again?"

"The mist." Chiron supplied.

"Right. Even with the mist clouding people's vision, they're still going to see something that's close to an offensive weapon, like a baseball bat."

"I see where you're going with this." Chiron realised. "The mortals are still going to see a someone attacking a monster, who may look human to them. That will cause them to assume the half-blood is the antagonist of the situation."

"Yeah." I said. "But this," I indicated my gun, "has the appearance of a toy sold in mortal shops, so the most that the mortals- that's weird to say- will see is me shooting someone or something with a toy gun. They will think that I'm strange, but they'll keep doing what they're doing."

Chiron nodded. "And since you have clearly modified it, you have a lethal weapon in plain sight. Clever. And your last reason?"

"Simple." I said. "Since this is a gun, it requires ammunition, like a bow." Chiron nodded, so I continued. "And since this is a toy, where do I get said ammunition?"

Chiron looked down at me and smiled. "Toy stores."

"Bingo." I said. "I've noticed that more fifteen-year-olds go into toy stores than gun shops, and the darts are cheaper than bullets are."

"Very clever." Chiron mused. "But I still don't see how do foam darts kill monsters."

"Chiron." I said. "If you make anything go fast enough, it can kill."

By now, we had reached the armoury, where a big guy about my age was taking stock of the armour and weapons. He turned as Chiron and I came in and grinned.

"So you're the new guy that everyone's been talking about." He said. He walked up to me and offered a hand the size of a baseball glove for me to shake, so I did.

"Charles Beckendorf." He said. "Head councillor for Cabin 9."

I looked at Chiron for an explanation. "We have twelve cabins here, one for each Olympian god or goddess. Cabin 9 belongs to Lord Hephaestus, the god of forges, fire and technology, among other things."

"Oh." I said, turning back to Beckendorf "I don't have a name, but hi."

He didn't seem surprised. "Lee told me about you at breakfast. My advice? Decide on something quickly before you get a nickname that sticks."

"I'll keep that in mind." I replied.

He eyed my gun. "May I take a look?" He asked.

I shrugged it off my shoulder and handed it to him. I was a little shocked when he took out a screwdriver, whipped all the screws out and opened it up. He took a quick look, nodded, then put it back together just as fast.

"That's good work you've done." Beckendorf said, handing my weapon back. "With the speeds you're getting when you fire, you're going to have to check the gears for wear every once in a while, not to mention the charge of the battery, but it's good for a DIY monster-killer."

I thanked him for the compliment and the advice as Chiron said "We're going to need a set of armour for this young man."

"Armour?" Beckendorf asked. "Then you're talking to the right guy."

We went through multiple sets of the standard stuff before we finally found something that fitted. The only problem was that it didn't feel right. It was too heavy, and it slowed me down too much when I moved. Eventually, I was fitted out with lightweight celestial bronze greaves, bracers, and a helmet complete with plume, as well as a hardened leather section for my torso. Thanking Beckendorf, I left the armoury wearing my new gear over my clothes, with the exception of my helmet, which I had zipped up in my rucksack.

"What are we going to see next?" I asked Chiron.

He just smiled and told me to follow him. We saw the strawberry fields and some satyrs (whereupon Chiron had to forcibly disarm me), infirmary, volleyball courts, canoeing lake, arena, amphitheatre, stables (which Chiron seemed to hate as much as I hated the infirmary), javelin and archery ranges, climbing wall, metal shop, and the rooms where campers had classes on Greek mythology and killing monsters.

Then Chiron pointed out the mess hall, which wasn't really a hall at all. Instead, it was an open air area with twelve stone tables surrounding a metallic object in a semi-circle, with a head table the other side.

"Why is it so open?" I asked. "I mean, it must rain sometimes for the plants, so how come you don't have a roof?"

"You remember the magical boundaries around camp?" Chiron replied.

"The ones that keep out monsters." I said. "The ones that are the only reason that I'm still here."

Chiron didn't seem very happy about the second part, but he nodded. "Those boundaries also keep out weather when we wish it. It cannot rain here unless we, or the gods, allow it."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes."

"That's… unnatural and extremely cool at the same time." I decided.

We had reached the cabins by now. Twelve long, low buildings that were situated in a rough 'U' shape around a commons area. Each was unique in its own way, except for the large bronze numbers over the doors, evens on the right, odds on the left.

"So which cabin belongs to which god?" I inquired.

Chiron ran through them in numerical order, pointing each one out as he did so. "Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus. Once a god claims their child, campers will move into their cabin."

"And what happens to them until then?" I asked, meaning _what happens to me_?

Chiron seemed to pick up on my meaning. "Then they," he gestured at me, "will be placed in cabin 11."

"Hermes' cabin." I recalled. "Why?"

"Lord Hermes has an acceptance policy stating that any undetermined camper, or any camper who's immortal parent does not have a cabin, can stay there."

"But if you have children of other gods," I asked, "why not build cabins for them?"

Chiron sighed. "I wish that we could, yet the Olympians are prideful and jealous gods. They will not allow it."

"That's…" I trailed off, realising that irritating the gods wasn't the wisest move. "…not great."

Then I sensed something behind me, whirled around and went for my gun before I remembered that Chiron had taken it. Silently cursing, I looked, but I didn't see anything.

"Chiron?" I said warily, slowly scanning the area. "Something invisible is watching us."

He just smiled. "I believe that would be Annabeth."

"A camper?" I asked.

"Indeed."

"You have campers… _who turn invisible_?" I asked.

"No. But there are magic items in the mythological world do that, such as Lord Hades's Helm of Darkness."

I didn't want to let the situation drop, but Chiron steered me towards the doorway of cabin 11.

"Time to meet your cabinmates." He said

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I cried. "Can't we do this later?"

"Why?" Chiron asked me.

I groaned. "If you remember, the only reason I even got into camp is because a camper knocked me out and dragged me over the border. Somehow, you got around my rule number one, but I'm still holding a grudge against whoever did it."

"You're holding a grudge… for a camper bringing you into the only safe place in the world for demigods." Chiron asked, his tone making it seem like the most ridiculous thing ever.

"Yes." I said.

Chiron ignored my complaints and knocked on the cabin door before I could stop him. A college aged guy opened the door as I bit back a curse. He was one of the guys who had tried to _persuade_ me to come into camp yesterday. He was tall and fairly muscly, and wore the orange camp t-shirt, shorts, sandals and a leather necklace with five coloured clay beads.

"Hey Chiron." he said. "Sup, new guy."

Chiron smiled down at me. "This is Luke, head councillor for Hermes cabin. He will be in charge of you while you're here."

I glared at the centaur. "_I'll_ be in charge of me."

Luke looked annoyed, which made me a little happier. "And why is that?"

"I've survived ten years on the run from monsters. I think that qualifies me to be able to take care of myself." I shot back.

Luke's expression turned sympathetic. "Ten years? That's double what I had." Well that was interesting.

"Were you abandoned or-" I began before Luke interrupted me.

"I ran away from home when I was nine."

"Huh. I was five when I started."

Now Luke looked impressed. "What weapons did you have?"

"A Swiss army knife."

"That was it?!"

I grinned at his expression. "Yup. I lost it somewhere over the years. Normal weapons work on monsters, though I've heard that celestial bronze is more effective. I did get my hands on a shotgun once though."

"What happened to that?"

"One of the giant teleporting dogs ate it."

"A hellhound, huh? And then?"

I smiled wickedly. "It discharged in the thing's stomach."

Luke laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. "I have a feeling that you're going to teach us a thing or two. Welcome to cabin 11…" He trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

"I don't have a name." I said bluntly. "Never needed one."

Luke shrugged. "We'll work something out by the end of the day. Newbie?"

"No."

"Noob?"

"Definitely not."

Chiron interjected before Luke could think up more terrible names by handing me back my gun. "I'll leave you to get acquainted with your cabinmates." He started to walk away, then turned back to me. "And a word to the wise; Hermes is also known as the god of thieves, so keep a tight grip on your possessions." I nodded in acknowledgement as Luke led me inside.

.Luke introduced me to the people occupying cabin 11, and like Chiron said, I kept a firm grip on my stuff. To me, the cabin looked fairly empty with only 7 people, but they told me that they were only the year-rounders. A _lot _more people would be coming in for the summer session. I was tempted to drop rule number one, as the campers seemed like genuinely nice people, but I decided to let it stay until I knew them better. Rules two and three stayed in place.

By the end of the day, I had managed to wheedle more information out of them than they had out of me, which I regarded as a win. A conch horn sounded somewhere off in the distance, signalling that dinner was ready.

Luke yelled "Eleven, fall in!" amid a small cheer.

We filed outside and trekked towards the dining pavilion along with the members of the other cabins, our stomachs grumbling. Satyrs from the strawberry fields, and some other nature spirits that I didn't know the names for, joined in the procession.

Marching into the dining pavilion, each cabin seated itself around a table, covered white cloth trimmed in purple, with their number on it. Our tables surrounded a large, bronze brazier around two metres wide, in a semicircle. Across from it stood the head table, it's cloth glinting golden. Blazing torches surrounded the pavilion, providing light as the sun brushed the horizon over the beach.

Chiron stood at the head table with a porky, middle-aged man with a reddish nose, wearing a Hawaiian shirt covered in palm trees.

"Is that Mr. D?" I asked Luke, who had sat across the table from me.

"Sure is." Luke replied. "He hates all of us, but try not to get on his bad side."

"Already got the memo." I replied.

As the talk slowly died away, Chiron pounded his hoof against the stone floor of the pavilion.

Raising a glass, he shouted "To the gods!"

We did the same in response. "To the gods!"

Then nature spirits piled the tables with various items of food; cheese, strawberries, apples, grapes, barbecue and more. We all filled our plates, but nobody ate. Instead, cabin by cabin, they got up and walked over to the brazier. After scraping the best portion of their meal into the flames, they went back to their tables and started pigging out.

"Why are we incinerating our food?" I questioned as we got up.

Luke didn't respond until we stood before the flames. "In the old times, humanity burnt offerings to the gods. It's a tradition that we still perform today."

I didn't bother being startled. Very little that happened here made sense, so why not? At least it would keep the gods happy.

Luke scraped part of his ribs into the flames, saying "Hermes."

Then it was my turn. I tossed a strip of bacon into the brazier and silently thought. _I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but hi. _The flames crackled and popped in response. _Whoever you are, I've found- well, stumbled across Camp Half-Blood. If you guided me here, then thanks, I owe you. _I stopped for a moment to gather my thoughts. _I've heard about this 'claiming' thing. I'm not really bothered about it either way, but it would be nice to know who you are. _Luke gave me a weird stare, so I decided to wrap this up. _Okay, I'm going to go now. Bye. _

I turned away from the fire and followed Luke back to the Hermes table. I'm not sure why, but I didn't talk to anyone for the remainder of the meal, which they found strange. Mr. D's gave some announcements, including capture-the-flag next week, the closing of the climbing wall for a new coat of lava-resistant paint, and my arrival (as if anybody didn't know), then dismissed us.

After dinner, we headed down to the campfire in the amphitheatre. Apollo's cabin led a sing-along, but I sat at the back and didn't join in. Two of the Hermes campers, Connor and Travis if I remembered correctly, started a food fight with marshmallows, s'mores and chocolate sauce that I didn't participate in, but enjoyed watching.

* * *

It was half an hour until curfew when everyone else had decided to turn in and I had the amphitheatre to myself. The fire was still going strong, and I sat before it on the front row of seats, gazing into the flames in thought. Thoughts whirled around my head. Would camp be for me? What should I choose as my name? Who was my godly parent? It all boiled down to one question though. What was my objective?

I was interrupted by a young girl sitting down next to me. I gave her a quick glance. She seemed to be around eight or nine, but she radiated power unlike anything I had experienced before. We sat in silence for a while, just watching the flames.

"Why do you not join your cabinmates?" she asked softly. "Do you not like their company?"

"I prefer to be alone." I said.

"And why is that?" she asked.

I shrugged. "It's just my personal preference."

There was another round of silence before I asked "You're a goddess, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yes. I am Hestia, Goddess of the home and hearth. Out of the few people that have met me, you are the first to work that out without me giving some sign or clue. May I ask how?"

"You may." I said. Being cheeky with an immortal probably wasn't a good idea, but with this one, I felt secure and something that I had claimed didn't exist earlier today. Safe.

She smiled. "Then tell me, how did you know?"

"Easy." I said. "You didn't ask for my name, implying you know who I am. That led me to make an educated guess."

"Interesting." she said, poking at the coals with a stick. Around five minutes passed before she said "Your head is filled with questions. While I may not know if I can help, I offer you my assistance in answering them."

"Thank you my lady."

There was silence until she asked "What troubles you the most?"

I paused and thought about it. "I guess… I guess I'm not sure what to do with myself."

"Oh?"

I sighed. "While I was on the run, I had always had a mission. Survive. That was the focus of every minute, of every hour, of every day I lived. Now? I'm safe at camp, yet I have no mission. I have no goal to reach."

There was another few minutes of silence before the goddess said "It sounds to me as if you are not looking at the big picture."

I glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What is this camp's purpose?" She asked.

"To help demigods survive monster attacks." I replied. "To let them stay safe."

"Indeed. So why not assist in this mission?"

"So… protect other demigods?" I asked.

"In part. Protect them, assist them in learning, be a hero. You have only been concerned with your own survival for all this time. Why not widen your perspective to include the survival of all half-bloods?"

I thought about it for a moment and came to the conclusion of "That's deep." I looked at the goddess again. "Thank you."

"There is no thanks necessary." She said, rising from her seat and turning to me. "As the goddess of the home and hearth, I will always be willing to help family, whether they are the most popular god, or a mortal loner."

With that, she burst into flames and disappeared, leaving me to face the wrath of whatever enforced curfew.

"Loner," I mused, "that's a name that fits me."


	3. Chapter 3: Running like the wind

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed! That really means a lot to me. Anyhow, I have two questions for you guys: What do you think of Loner as a character, and do you think that I should pair him in a with someone later down the line? Personally, I don't think that a relationship would work for him (And I have absolutely no idea how to write one!), but I'd like to hear- well, **_**read**_** your thoughts. Sorry about this chapter being shorter than normal, but I just felt that it should end where it did. As always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the story.**

**Response to reviews: (I'm going to start doing these for people who have questions. If you did drop a review saying you liked the story, I did see it, and I thank you for your support!)  
SonOfArtemis22: I have said this on my profile, but I have no schedule to writing at all, so sorry. First off, I need to have the inspiration to write, but that's good most of the time. I may work on a chapter of this one day, then a chapter of my Transformers fic another day, or maybe I'll just play videogames! It purely depends on my mood. Currently, I have 5 fics that I'm working on, but have only released three (this one, my transformers one and my inheritance cycle one), as the other two only have one/two chapters and need tweaking. I also acknowledge that since I have these three stories out, I have a commitment to finish these first. So with juggling stories, I may not update one for a while, as I would either be working on one of the other two or doing other stuff. I hope you all understand.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Running like the wind.**

It had been a week since I took my new name, so I was now Loner by name, loner by nature! Chiron had left, due to him making a 'house call' to a potential demigod, Percy somebody, and was teaching at a boarding school called Yancy Academy until the summer. That sucked. On the other hand, I had dropped rule number one inside the camp's borders, and made friends, which was a first. There was Will Solace and Lee Fletcher from Apollo's cabin, aka the strangled, Connor and Travis Stoll, my prankster cabinmates, Charles Beckendorf and the entirety of Cabin 9, and surprisingly, Clarisse La Rue, Head councillor of Ares cabin. Perhaps she respected me for how long I had survived against monsters. Who knows?

Who was on the list of people who I didn't like? Let's see… There was Annabeth Chase, the girl who had knocked me out the first time and had an invisibility hat, and most of Aphrodite's cabin. I don't know why, but they drove me up the wall.

As I was a new camper with absolutely no knowledge of Greek mythology, but lots of combat experience, most of my first week was being told stories of monsters, heroes and gods. This was made more difficult than usual, as we found I could _not_ read ancient Greek, an ability that most demigods had. I can read English just fine though. Unlike most, if not all of the campers, I don't have ADHD, which apparently was connected with having higher battle reflexes than ordinary people- mortals. Despite this, I still had a higher reaction time and better senses than almost anyone else at camp.

Also during this time, I was put through the tests that often indicated who a camper's godly parent was. In spite of using a bow instead of a gun, I was rather good at archery, always hitting the target within the three innermost rings. As for foot racing, I was the fastest and most resilient runner at camp, due to my years of practice against monsters. When the climbing wall was re-opened, I excelled on it, getting to the top in seconds. I was about average for metalwork and arts and crafts, but as for wrestling, canoeing and using spears, I was hopeless.

* * *

It was Sunday afternoon when it was the Hermes cabin's turn to use the arena for swordplay. The few campers there were paired up and began training duels as Luke coached me personally. We started off with the basics; how to hold a sword properly, and how to block an opponent's strike. The sword felt a little awkward at first, but I did fairly well, so we moved on to offensive moves such as slashing and stabbing at some training dummies.

After about an hour of that, Luke was satisfied with my technique and we started our own duel. He was _wickedly_ good. Within thirty seconds of whirling bronze blades, I was lying on the floor, my sword under a bench the other side of the arena.

Luke grinned as he pulled me to my feet. "Come on Loner, you can do better than that."

After retrieving my weapon, we tried again. And again. And again. Even with my reflexes and all the advice Luke had been piling on me as we fought, his sword kept on batting mine aside and ending up under my chin. Getting frustrated, I called for a break, sat down, and thought. What I was doing wrong?

I was holding the sword correctly, I was blocking as Luke had shown me, and I had executed a few decent attacks. Then it hit me. Because I was so used to having a gun, I had moved very little, sacrificing the biggest advantage I had, speed. Moving around more should give me more of an edge, and if I ended the fight quickly, Luke would have less opportunity to defend himself.

Standing, I nodded to Luke and raised my blade. "Bring it."

Luke grinned maniacally and started forward. I leapt towards him with a thrust, which he blocked. As he swung at me, I jumped back, evading the strike completely. Then I whipped my blade up towards his throat… only for it to be pushed aside, sliding along his blade. I stepped back until I was out of Luke's range and brought my blade up to a 'ready' stance.

He appraised me with interest. "You've figured something out, hav-"

That was as far as he got before I shot forwards, pushed his blade down and to the side using my own, and body slammed him.

He staggered back as I knocked his weapon out of his hands and brought my own up to his throat.

Regaining his balance, he scowled at me. "That was dirty."

"Are monsters going to play fair?" I smiled, lowering my blade and taking my place to start again.

"No Loner, but you're here to learn this stuff properly." Luke chided me. "This is a class to train you in swordplay, not a battle that you have to win at all costs."

I sighed dramatically, rolled my eyes and prepared to defend myself from another battering.

* * *

It was Wednesday evening, after dinner, and camp was buzzing with excitement, even though we had many less people than would have been usual. Capture-the-flag was taken very seriously at Camp Half-Blood. Ares was leading the blue team and had allied themselves with the us and Apollo's cabin, giving us an advantage in close and ranged combat, as well as fast runners. Athena's cabin was leading the red team with everyone else. It was only them and Hephaestus' cabin who I felt we had to worry about.

Luke was abstaining from playing in Chiron's absence, and acted as referee.

"Campers!" he yelled. "You know how it goes!"

"Except Loner!" someone yelled.

Luke ignored them. "The creek is the border, and the whole forest is fair game. All weapons and magic items are allowed. The banner must be clearly displayed and guarded by no more than two people. Prisoners can be disarmed, but may not be gagged or bound. No killing or maiming each other _please_, it looks very bad on my report! In Chiron's absence, I will be your referee for this evening. Now go out there and get stuck in!"

I stood beside Connor and Travis, wearing my full kit of armour. I had borrowed the sword I'd used in the arena, as I didn't want to risk killing someone with my gun. I had not acquired a shield though, seeing as Luke had adapted my swordplay training to focus on a faster style without a shield, focusing on quick strikes and landing more hits than the enemy did.

Clarisse took the lead, yelling "Blue team, move it before I pulverise you into next week!"

We cheered and followed her into the north woods. Our game plan was fairly simple. Two Ares kids would guard our flag while the Apollo cabin and the rest of Ares would push forward in one big force. Meanwhile, the rest of Hermes cabin, except for the Stolls and I, would patrol our side of the creek, looking for enemy scouts. We would sneak around the left flank while the reds were distracted to try and find the enemy flag. If we did, we would go back around the right, as fast as possible.

The night was cold, due to a cool breeze blowing in from the sea. To anyone else, the woods would have been dark, but I could see as plain as if it were day. We were in our positions when a conch horn blew somewhere in the distance, signalling the start of the game. The main force whooped and began charging forward as Connor, Travis and I bumped each other's fists and began running in a wide arc, around where we expected that the main battle to be.

At first, the plan went well. We passed the creek and entered enemy territory undetected while screams and yells indicated that the Ares and Apollo guys were doing their job. Then our job got trickier. There were several spots where we suspected that the reds would hide the flag, but as we were the only scouts, we had to check all of them.

We were twenty minutes into the game before we finally saw the red's flag. It was a large, grey flag bearing a picture of an owl above an olive tree on top of a group of boulders. As Travis and Connor dealt with the two guards, I started to pour on the speed. I scampered up the rock, grabbed the flag and tore off in a beeline towards the creek. The flag was so far out of the way that I didn't have to worry about going around the enemy force, only about any patrolling guards.

Unfortunately, I did zip passed a pair of Athena campers, alerting them to the theft of their flag. They yelled and started running after me. I was faster than they were, so they did slowly fall behind. Unfortunately, the noise that they had made had informed the entire forest of what was going on. I just ran on, sprinting as if there was another drakon chasing me.

I entered a large clearing, the creek glistening in the moonlight on the far side. Nearing it, I became aware of a growing number of reds closing charging into the space, trying to cut me off from reaching the creek. I barely evaded all of them, the last one's reaching fingers brushing past me by millimetres. Then I was in the clear!

I whooped in triumph, bearing the flag high as the blue team poured out of the woods behind me, cheering. I was metres away from the creek when a familiar weight slammed into the side of my helmet, coupled with something colliding with my feet. I tripped and fell hard, the flag and my sword flying through the air as the ground came up towards my face. Then there was only darkness.

* * *

I groaned and came around on a bunk in the Hermes cabin, my cabinmates standing around me. When they saw that I was conscious, they let out a loud cheer and all started to talk at once as I groggily sat up.

"Well done, Loner!" Luke said.

"You did it!" someone else yelled.

"You got the flag!" Connor congratulated.

"WE WON!" everyone yelled at once.

"We… we did?! How?" I asked, a massive smile slowly spreading over my face.

"Partly due to coincidence, mostly due to you." Travis explained. "You were almost at the creek when Annabeth knocked you out-"

"Again?" I complained.

"Maybe she has a thing for you!" Connor smirked, to a chorus of "Ooh!" from everyone else.

"Shut up Connor." I grumbled, though he couldn't bring down my spirits.

"Anyway," Travis interjected, "she knocked you out, but as you went down, your momentum catapulted the flag onto our side. After that, we carried your sorry ass back here and started partying."

"Wait, what time is it?"

"Three in the morning and we still haven't finished!" Connor and Travis said together, to enthusiastic cheering.

I shrugged and joined in until the celebration. Somebody had brought out a stash of food specially kept for occasions like this, so we all dug in, leaving various crumbs and wrappers _everywhere._ The flag had been propped up at the back of the room, the design magically changed from Athena's owl to the winged sandals of Hermes. Luke told me that it was usually a caduceus when they won, but sometimes it changed.

When the morning finally arrived, we were all happy, tired, thoroughly partied out and had a cabin resembling a pigsty. And then we remembered that we had inspection later. ****!


	4. Chapter 4: Don't ---- off Hermes Cabin

**Author's Note: Zzz… Huh, yeah I'm awake. What? The story has 862 views, 20 favourites, 33 follows and 14 reviews! Holy Zeus! Thanks to everyone! Sorry for not updating, I've been working on my Inheritance Cycle fic, but the next chapter is here now, so fear not!**

**In response to reviews:**  
**Aidan Ho:**  
**I've decided against pairings until I actually research how to write relationships, but thanks for the suggestions. Will Loner have a companion like Percy has Blackjack? Ooo, good idea. I will steal it and lock it away in a cookie jar until the time is right. I'll put up a poll for different animal ideas, though I'm inclined to go with a pegasus, as they are perhaps one of the most useful animal companions, and a lot of other writers use wolves and stuff, and I don't want to be thought as a plagiarist. Will Loner meet another immortal or something and become overpowered? No, it takes value away from the story, as you know that the characters will always win. Good stories have limits to their heroes as mistakes and setbacks are part of life, and they add a sense of realism to the fic. What do you mean that if I discontinue, you'll lose a lunch? Do you have a bet on or something? Anyway, there isn't any need to worry. My updates may not be remotely consistent, but I have full intentions of finishing all the stories that I put up on here… eventually.**  
**Guest:**  
**Yeah, I am struggling with writing Loner's loner side, ironically enough. Yes, he should be a little more antagonistic, I guess, but after a life of solitude, perhaps friends are the things he needs. As for sensing invisible people, Loner didn't sense Annabeth after the drakon, as he's physically exhausted. He only senses her when the only thing he's doing is walking around after Chiron, which isn't exactly a tiring task. Even then, he does it by a combination of gut instinct and feeling the displacement in the air (like a tiny breeze or something) as she moves, so it was really luck. Even then, he only knew that he was being watched by someone invisible, but he didn't know where Annabeth was. In capture the flag, he's pushing himself to his physical limit, like with the drakon, so he's not able to sense her. I hope that my explanation makes sense, and thank you for the tips!**  
**Blaze1992:**  
**I was going to add other improvised weapons sooner or later, but thanks for making it sooner! I have thought of the aerosol can + lighter combo, but would the water pistol + taser combo work in the real world? I do get the gist of what you mean by it, but the engineering side of my brain is thinking about the possibility.**  
**FireandIce4664:**  
**Thanks!**  
**Luna: Sorry! I've been reworking one of my other stories, as well as coming up with a lot of other story ideas. However, the wait is over, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC and the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Don't **** off Hermes Cabin**

The summer session of camp had just started. Chiron was back, and as promised, the Hermes cabin had _far _too many members in it than I was comfortable with, so I had started sleeping on the roof. Sure, it may sound weird, but I'd slept in trees while I was on the run, and the slanted wooden roof was much more comfortable than rough bark.

I'd recently had my first demigod style dream, which had weirded me out a little. The morning after, I found Will and asked him about it.

"You're having odd dreams?" he yawned as he dug into his breakfast. I nodded as he carried on "That's normal for demigods. To us, dreams are omens, warnings, things like that. Or they can just be really strange."

"I think I got the latter." I said.

Will glanced at me. "What happened? Anything interesting?"

"Yeah." I replied. "There was this guy in full battle gear having a pillow fight to the death with a cyclops."

"Who won?" Will grinned.

"Well, the cyclops started using whole mattresses instead of pillows, but I woke up before I could see the end."

"That sucks." my friend mused into his glass of juice. "If you catch the rest of it, I'm putting ten dollars on the cyclops."

"You're on!"

* * *

So that was that. However, my current dream wasn't so good. I was seeing flashes, a car speeding down a road in a thunderstorm, lightning hitting the car, the occupants groaning as a massive shape slowly stomped towards them, a lone pine tree on top of a hill to the side of the road. I woke with a start, almost rolling off the roof. Sitting up, I turned around to look at Half-Blood hill. Faint roars were coming from the other side. So it was one of those warning dreams then. I grabbed my gun, two extra ammo cartridges, slid off the roof and started running towards the hilltop, yelling that there was a monster attack. Some people evidently heard me, as lights came on in the Big House as well as the Cabins.

I made it to the top of the hill within a minute, and into the rain, only to watch as something flashed from the massive, muscled, horned monster's hand, temporarily turning night into day. A satyr and a demigod stood a way away from the thing, both of them trembling in fear. Then I began to fire at the thing. After three shots to the eyes, one of which missed, the thing was blind, but that didn't help much, even when it screeched in pain and spun towards me. I silently motioned to the satyr to grab the demigod and get their asses up here, while not taking my eyes off the thing.

They did as I instructed, scurrying over the border and letting me go to work. Seeing as I hadn't been too effective with my usual approach, I began unloading rounds into the most painful place possible for a guy. After a massive scream, a crashing collapse, some whimpering, and a few shots to the head later, the monster disintegrated, leaving behind a mound of golden dust. I'd need to add that to my tally in the morning.

Walking back through the camp boundary and out of the rain, I slung my gun over my shoulder. I turned to the satyr and demigod, meaning to ask about the flash of light. Unfortunately, they had both passed out, meaning that I'd have to drag both of them down to the Big House. Joy.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, and I sat panting on the building's porch, my head leaning against the wall and some slightly muddy people lying before me. When Chiron came out, I nodded at him, tiredly.

"Where did you find these two?" he asked.

"The top of the hill." I groaned, exhausted from the effort of getting them down here. I may be fast, but I'm not strong.

"I presume that it was you shouting about a monster attack, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Demigod dreams are useful."

"Do you know who they are?" Chiron asked me.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Chiron trotted over to them as Lee ran up.

"Monster attack?" he asked breathlessly.

"Big pile of sand." I replied.

Chiron sighed in relief "I know these two. Thank the gods that they made it here safely."

"And they are?" I invited.

"The satyr is Grover Underwood and the demigod is Percy Jackson."

I looked at the unconscious lump of Percy and prodded him with a foot. "This guy is the reason that you went to teach at that school for a year?"

"Indeed."

Lee looked over them. "They've probably gone into shock. We'll put them in the infirmary for now."

"I hate the infirmary." I grumbled.

"Why?" Lee asked.

"Because two sons of Apollo imprisoned me in it. Twice."

"Oh yeah." Lee said, looking rather sheepish.

Chiron interrupted us before we could go any further. "That's a good idea Lee. Would you and Loner could take them down there please?"

"Sure thing, Chiron." Lee said before I could object.

I shot a glare at him as he picked up Grover and positioned him over his shoulder. I did the same with Percy as we started down towards the Infirmary.

"So what monster was it?" Lee asked.

"Some kind of man bull hybrid."

"The minotaur?" he whispered.

"I'm not sure." I replied. "I still haven't covered it in mythology class yet."

Somebody had told me about the whole 'names have power' thing, which explained why Lee was nervous about saying the monster's name, even in the boundaries of camp. I thought that it was a stupid idea, so I used the names that I knew.

"Do you know the satyr?" I asked Lee as we tromped into the infirmary.

"Oh yeah, Grover brought Luke and Annabeth to camp, along with a daughter of Zeus called Thalia." Lee replied as we laid Percy and Grover onto beds.

"The poor kid who got turned into the pine which protects camp?" I queried. I think that Beckendorf told me about her, just so I wouldn't ask Luke or Annabeth.

"Yeah." Lee confirmed, walking over to a medicine cabinet and peering inside it. "I'm gonna have a long night ahead of me, looking after these two."

"I'll stay and keep an eye on them if you want." I shrugged.

"Why? You hate the infirmary."

"Yeah, but after waking up at whatever-o-clock it is and shooting a minotaur, I'm not gonna get back to sleep easily, and burning the infirmary to the ground would make a lot of people mad at me." I joked.

Lee shrugged. "If you really want to, then I'd welcome the company."

"Let me get my stuff before someone steals it then." I replied, pushing open the door and stepping out into the cold night.

* * *

Five minutes and I had run back in with my stuff, slammed the door behind me and slid to the floor, coated in green slime.

"What the Hades happened to you?" Lee yelled at me.

"Hermes cabin." I responded, pulling as much of the stuff off of my face as I could. "Turns out that they don't appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night unless it's for a raid on the camp store. If something starts banging on the doors, it's either them or zombies."

"There's a small bathroom down there." Lee groaned, gesturing to the other end of the room. "Get yourself cleaned up."

I wordlessly pushed myself to my feet and trudged towards the bathroom. You do a good deed and see where it gets you.

* * *

When I came out, Lee had turned off the main lights and lit a few lamps. I climbed onto the bed next to Percy and started to add another mark to my gun.

"What was it like out there?" Lee asked.

"Huh?" I questioned, looking up.

"When you were living on the run. What was it like?""

I rubbed my chin in thought. "Not good. I was constantly hungry, thirsty and tired. After your first few encounters with monsters, you learn not to trust anybody."

"So… hard and lonely?"

"I guess that you'd call it lonely, but I was fine on my own."

"I still can't believe that you only had that gun to fend off monsters." Lee said, tossing me a pack of sweets.

I caught them with one hand and nodded my thanks. "I did have various weapons over the years." I said, popping a gummy bear into my mouth. "Some were handmade, some were found, some were stolen."

"What were the best ones?"

"This, obviously." I said, patting my gun. "Then there was the shotgun vs hellhound thing, the improvised flamethrower, and the time that I stuck a taser onto an aluminium baseball bat."

"How did you not electrocute yourself?"

"Rubber grip for the handle. I lost the bat, but I still have the taser."

"Oh. What do you mean by an improvised flamethrower?"

"When you combine an aerosol can, a lighter and some duct tape, you don't mess with the business end of the results." I grinned.

Lee seemed to be mulling something over. "Did you live in New York? Before you went on the run, I mean."

I shook my head. "I don't know or care much about where I was born, or who my mortal parent is. Before I stumbled across camp, I just travelled around from place to place. I also tend to avoid cities, since they have higher concentrations of people and monsters."

"So how did you get into New York?"

"That was an accident. One night, I jumped a freight train, planning to get off in the morning. Instead, I slept through the night and most of the day, so the train had pulled into Grand Central Station by the time I woke up."

"You say that it was an accident," Lee said, "but couldn't it have been deliberate?"

"What?" I asked. "How could I _deliberately_ oversleep?"

"That's not what I meant." Lee said. "I think that your godly parent guided you towards camp."

I sat in thought. Lee's theory made sense. A lot of strange stuff had happened on my way out of New York, almost as if something was nudging me in a specific direction.

I shrugged. "I guess that I owe them a large part of my dinner today."

"Is it past midnight?" Lee asked, looking out a window.

I nodded "It's a little after two in the morning."

"How do you even know that?" he said, amazed.

"I picked it up somewhere."

We sat in silence before I said "Get some rest Lee, I'll take the first watch."

"You sure Loner?"

"Yeah. I have to work out how to hide from the rest of my cabin tomorrow."

Lee smiled. "Good luck with that." he yawned as he stretched out on one of the beds.

* * *

The sun rose early the next day, and so did I. I shook Lee awake, then grabbed my stuff and left to get an early breakfast. Apparently, I wasn't very far ahead of everyone else, as a conch horn blew, signaling breakfast. I cursed and put on speed. I entered the dining pavilion at the same time that Chiron did.

"Ah, Loner." he smiled. "I believe that your cabinmates are… looking for you."

"That's an understatement." I replied, grabbing a plate and piling it with masses toast, scrambled eggs and tomato ketchup. Given that, up until recently, I had lived a life where I couldn't be sure when I would get my next meal, I had a small problem with portion control.

"I take it that you will try to evade them until they calm down?" Chiron said, passing me a flask full of some kind of juice.

I nodded in both confirmation and thanks as I snatched up a knife and fork. "I'm going to be 'around' for the next few days, but I'll still be within camp's borders."

"Good luck." The centaur said with a dry smile as I jogged off towards the beach with my breakfast, an angry Cabin not-quite on my tail.


End file.
